Peterson Zah was born December 2, 1937, in
Low Mountain, Arizona, the son of Henry and Mae Multine Zah. He graduated from
Phoenix Indian School in 1958,
Phoenix College in 1960, While at ASU he met his wife Rosalind, who was also a student there; they got married in 1963. After college, Zah spent a year working in
Phoenix for the Arizona Vocational Education Department, teaching
carpentry to adult students seeking vocational skills. During his time as Navajo president, Zah worked with
Hopi tribal leader and childhood friend
Ivan Sidney to resolve issues related to the land dispute between the two tribes. This did not help the Navajo Hopi Joint Use Area situation, and thousands of Navajo were relocated. In 1994, Zah successfully advocated for an amendment to the
American Indian Religious Freedom Act allowing the ceremonial use of
peyote. Zah died of cancer on March 7, 2023, at Fort Defiance Hospital in
Fort Defiance, Arizona, at age 85. ==References==